Is Alerus Financial (ALRS) a Great Value Stock Right Now?
Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.
Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.
In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.
One stock to keep an eye on is Alerus Financial (ALRS). ALRS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value.
Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. ALRS has a P/S ratio of 2.1. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.34.
Finally, investors will want to recognize that ALRS has a P/CF ratio of 7.89. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. ALRS's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 17.14. Within the past 12 months, ALRS's P/CF has been as high as 10.80 and as low as 7, with a median of 8.07.
These are just a handful of the figures considered in Alerus Financial's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that ALRS is an impressive value stock right now.
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